Racing Against Death
by Orange Headphones
Summary: Ganondorf comes back to Hyrule and does something drastic to Zelda. Can Link defy the odds and turn back time and try and save Zelda?


"I had a wonderful time, Link," the beautiful Princess Zelda said to her companion outside the door. She was a beautiful sight, beautiful not because she was royalty but beautiful because she cared. The land of Hyrule would certainly be glad when she would become their next queen; the only question was who she would choose as her king. With her looks, that did not seem as if it would be a problem. Her elegant, yet simple, dress fit her splendid form beautifully.

Link, a young warrior who had saved the kingdom from the malicious Ganondorf out of his sheer bravery, rubbed the back of his neck with his brown gauntlet. At heart he was one of the most genuine people in the world, always ready to be a friend. While his green tunic may have seemed out of place at times, it was the one thing that he always wore. Secretly, he did not own another garb.

Realizing that Link had not responded except in his usual way, Zelda said, "Well, Link, I'm going to go in to sleep for the night." She gave him one of her warm smiles.

Before she could close the door, Link held up one of his fingers and put his other hand on the door, stopping her from closing it. "Hold on, Zelda. I didn't get the chance to tell you the thing that's been on my mind for the past few hours."

Zelda paused, placing her gloved hand on her chin for a moment, waiting in mock confusion to hear Link's response, as this was one of his more common lines. "Well," she asked, "what is it, Link?"

With a big smile on his face and in his eyes, Link said simply, "I love you, Zelda."

Though she knew that it was coming, those four simple words never lost their subtle charm. Link could say only that for the rest of time, and she would always be happy, for she was equally devoted to her hero. She came closer to Link, swiftly grabbing his waist.

Quickly, she kissed him. Link didn't stand by idly, as he hoped that his statement would draw a kiss from his beloved Zelda. He joined in the kiss, cradling the back of her neck in his one hand; the other found itself firmly holding her back. When they broke from the kiss, Link smiled, lost in his brand of heaven; meanwhile, Zelda looked into his bright, blue eyes.

Though they were a young couple, they were sure that they had found the one that each wanted for the rest of their lives. Link found himself drawn to Zelda's charm and warm spirit, while the princess found herself drawn to Link's selfless and heroic devotion to those that he was close to.

However, in a second, Link sensed something in the air, something sinister. Instinctively, he yelled, "Zelda, get down!" Mentally, Link cursed himself for not keeping his sword around. Any sword would have done, but he didn't have anything around; the Master Sword was sitting on the bed of his room in the castle. If the threat wasn't as eminent, he would have quickly rushed to the room, but he knew that there wasn't the time to do such a thing.

Just as he predicted, Link saw what looked like a figment of his imagination at first. He swore that Ganondorf had been sealed away in the Sacred Realm, locked away by the great magic of the seven sages. Cautiously approaching it, Link realized that his greatest fear had returned.

Before Ganondorf recognized him, Link ordered a guard, "Joel, get my prized sword." If the guard was quick enough, Link might end up with the Master Sword again; then, he might have a chance of dealing with his perpetual foe. However, he thought it might be a good idea to try and stall the evil king for a while.

"So," Link stated confidently, "How did you get here?"

Ganondorf cackled, "Why do you think I'd tell you something like that? I said I'd exterminate your descendants, but I figured that I might as well start with the source."

Link shook his head and said, "Don't you realize that there's something very wrong with you?"

The desert man simply cracked his knuckles and taunted, "Well, when I rule over this place, that won't be a problem, will it?"

Link's eyes narrowed; nothing was going to happen to Hyrule if he had any say about it. "If I don't stop you, there will always be another hero to dethrone you."

"You never quite understood my ways, Kid. I'm not here to take over Hyrule today. I'd much rather revel in the mass chaos that ensues when the heir to the throne is found dead, along with her father. Then, after the kingdom has torn itself apart, each misguided soul trying to find its scapegoat, I'll step in and assume unstoppable power."

Link immediately realized what Ganondorf was up to, and he assured himself that it could not happen; he would not let it happen. "Zelda!" he called, "Get out of here! I'll take him down.

"Ganondorf, if you want Zelda, you'll have to go through me." Though the odds were great against him, especially without the Master Sword, Link knew that this was the time to prove that he was indeed the hero that Hyrule knew him as, the hero that conquered the seemingly insurmountable task.

"Kid, I admire your spunk, but spunk alone won't save this kingdom. Nothing can stop me by the time I have achieved my final end. In killing Zelda, I'll take a second part of the Triforce. I already know how you fight, and if you couple that with the infinite wisdom that it possesses, I'm unstoppable."

"We'll see about that." Link knew that he had run out of things to try and say, so it would take a miracle for him to hold his own with Ganondorf, to be able to fight off the grim future.

In the interim, Link set himself in a fighting stance, fists guarding his face, ready to strike off of the balls of his feet. Ganondorf, on the other hand, drew a massive sword that he somehow handled with only one hand. The sheer size of the blade dwarfed any weapon that Link had seen, except from Ganon's ultimate form.

Ganondorf leapt at Link, yelling, "You're done, Kid." With a mighty swing of his sword, he attempted to slice Link lengthways, but Link, definitely more agile without all of his gear, rolled to his left in the wide castle corridor, trying to circle his opponent.

With a mighty jump, Link was able to launch an aerial attack with one of his strong and heavy boots. "Not if I have something to say about it, you don't," he yelled in anger and frustration during his impressive-looking strike.

As impressive as the attempt was, Ganondorf merely blocked it with his sword, its incredible width serving as an effective shield. Even as Link tried to work his other foot into an attack, he could not penetrate the broad stroke of that sword.

Ganondorf merely smirked and said, "If that's all you've got, then you're finished." Quickly, he reversed the momentum of the sword, turning it on Link. Instead of blocking, he moved the sword downward, forcing Link down to the cold stones that paved the corridor. With every ounce of strength he possessed, Link fought the crushing force of the sword that buried him in the floor, but even his energy gave out, leaving him powerless.

All he said to the powerless Link was, "Looks like you're done for."

It was at this point that Joel returned with the Master Sword, but Ganondorf sliced the venerable guard in half. The armor split like the Titanic under the blunt force of the sharp blade. Just in case Link would get the idea of getting back up, he kicked the mighty Master Sword down the hall. However, in that moment of nearly invincible strength, the blade burned a hole in Ganondorf's metallic boot.

Blindly enraged, the King of Evil thrust open Zelda's door. He readied himself to face the princess, for she was not the typical princess. Zelda could hold her own in combat, using her powerful sage's magic upon those that she ran across. However, there was something in Ganondorf's unstoppable rage that made him seem invulnerable to anything.

Zelda cast her most powerful spells upon the great threat to her life, but they were either warded off by the range of the monstrous blade or they seemed to bounce right off of him. Something about him was all-encompassing and all-consuming. Nothing could get in his way, and he knew it.

"Little Princess," he bitterly mocked, "don't think that you can get out of this one, because I won't let you have the luxury of defending yourself."

Furiously, Ganondorf struck at Zelda's small form with the massive blade, but she too rolled out of the way of the great sword's blast. "Ganondorf, I'm not going to let you take me down that easily," she boldly stated.

"Foolish little Princess, you can't avoid me, not today. Today I've come to _destroy_ you. Today, you won't get away; you'll perish at my hand." With a guttural battle cry, the King of Evil swung one more time at Zelda, severing her head. There was no doubt about it, Zelda was dead, and Link had to sit there, watching the horror unfold before his eyes.

As strangely as he had appeared, Ganondorf began to vanish. "Kid," he stated, "I'll be back before you know it, and I'll use that time to make my move."

Link knelt there outside Zelda's room, dumbstruck about what had just happened. None of it made any sense to him. When he ventured after the Master Sword all that time ago, he only had the intention of saving Hyrule from Ganondorf. When he was done, Zelda sent him back one more time, but he couldn't stay back, so he grabbed the Master Sword again. Things somehow were peaceful for Hyrule then, and then he had the chance to learn what love was from Zelda. Now she was gone… it was all over.

He thought that Ganondorf was sealed away, yet it seemed as if he had been able to cheat the seal for a brief moment. But that didn't seem possible; he knew all the sages were in great health; even Rauru looked as if he would live for another few years. Then as quickly as he had come back, he vanished.

Link struggled with his thoughts for a while longer, but then he realized something. He had used the Master Sword to come to a future time, seven years later. Maybe, just maybe, he could reverse that time travel once again and prevent the same fate from happening to Zelda a second time. Desperate as he was, Link had to try something; if this didn't work, he didn't know what he would do.

As his mind was racing, he ran down the hall, searching for the mystical sword. From the small light of an outside window, the great weapon gleamed in the night. Link grabbed it and ran as fast as he could to the Temple of Time. With each stride, Link knew that he was loosing more and more energy, and he was already weak. By the time he had made it to the outside of the temple, he had to pause a moment to regain his composure.

The Temple of Time was simply a spectacle of architecture. Its momentous size would seemingly have taken several hundred workers the span of twenty years to construct, yet the temple was supposedly built in the span of seven years by only a select few. Whether that legend was true or not didn't interest Link at the moment, because he rushed into the stone edifice.

Tracking mud onto the immaculate floors was the least of Link's worries. With sword alone in one hand, he reached into his tunic to find the one keepsake he always had nearby, the Ocarina of Time. For only a moment, Link set the Master Sword down, and in that span rapidly played the beautiful, yet somehow ominous "Song of Time."

Immediately, the heavy stone doors in the back of the temple opened with what seemed like divine intervention. Not even Ganondorf could have moved those great doors. Rapidly, Link picked his sword up again, and then he entered into the most sacred area of the temple, the place where the Triforce was supposed to be.

Gasping for breath, Link raced up the few steps to the hallowed Pedestal of Time that he drew the sword from initially. Though there wasn't an immediate reaction from the pedestal, Link prayed for something to happen, for his one hope to be brought to fruition. After a few more seconds, his wish was granted, as a heavenly blue light surrounded Link and he returned to being a child.

The temple seemed brighter as Link returned to his youthful form. It took him a little time to readjust to his new body. However, something strange was lost in the translation; Link's great terror seemed obscured somewhat when he crossed the bridge of time. All he knew was that he had to make sure that Zelda was all right, because he still had to hope that she was all right.

Just as quickly as he entered it seven years in the future, Link left the Temple of Time, but this time he had more energy and a great deal less fear. The bright sunlight flooded Hyrule, so Link hurried his way to the secret entrance where he always had met Zelda, skillfully avoiding the guards that supposedly were doing a good job of keeping the princess safe from harm. He didn't have to try and get past the guards, but he still did it to keep his reflexes sharp.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw Zelda sitting amongst the flowers, smiling warmly. She again wore the dress that he first saw her in, but this time she let her hair down instead of wearing the hat she previously had. Before she noticed him, Link ran over to her and gave her a hug that seemed to almost suffocate her for a moment. Somehow, Link knew that things would turn out all right again.

For some reason, unknown to him, Link held Zelda for longer than he ever had, sobbing uncontrollably. He saw that Zelda was safe again, and that alone made him content with his life.

Zelda cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Link, would you please get off of me? I can't breathe."

Reluctantly, Link loosened his grasp on the young princess, his tears replaced with a bright smile. He told her, "Thank God you're safe."


End file.
